Prefinished flooring



Oct. 11,1927. 1,644,710

v K. E. cRQoKs PREFINISHED FLOORING Filed Dec. 51, 1925' fgi,

In/manto@ atten nu* l Patented Oct. l1.1, 1927.

UNITED STATES PATENT. OFFICE. l

KENNETH E. CROOKS, OF WILLIAMSPORT, PENNSYI'vANIA, ASSIGNOR TO THE CROMAR COMPANY, F l WILLIAMSPORT, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION 0F PENNSYL- VANIA.

PREFINISHED FLOORING.

Application ledlbecember 31, '1925. Serial No. 78,585.'

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in prenished flooring and is an improvement upon the construction 4of flooring shown in the reissue patent to Elmer C. Dittmar, No. 14,660, dated June 10, 1919, the object being to provide a strip of iooring so constructed that when a 'number of the-strips are laid, a narrow groove will be formed between the adjacent strips so as to revent an observer from noticing or detecting any slight unevenness at the junction of the strips. A further object of the invention is to provide a flooring strip which is preferably formed with a V-shaped tongue cut on an angle of approximately 50 along one edge and a V-shaped groove on the other edge at an angleof approximately 45 as clearly shown in my patent dated September 1, 1925, No. 1,551,544, whereby a tight joint will be `formed and maintained irrespective of the roughness ofthe sub-floor.' f Other and further objects and advantages of the invention will be hereinafter set forth appended claim.

In the drawings, v

Figure 1 is a section through a pair of strips showing the manner of formingthe tono'ues and grooves along the edgesin accordance with my invention;

Figure 2 is a top plan view of a portion of a flooring constructed in accordance with my invention; and 1 Figure 3 is a detail perspective view of a vportion of a flooring strip.

In the drawing 1 indicates a strip of material having along one of its longitudinal edges a substantially V-shaped tongue 2 of substantially the same thickness of the strip, the beveled faces forming the tongue being preferably' out at an angle of 50. The

strip on the opposite longitudinal edge is provided with a V-shaped groove 3 cut on 45 a substantial angle of 45 to form beveled faces 4, the edges of the groove being rounded as shown at 5 so that when a number of strips are assembled to produce a flooring as shown in Figure 2, narrow grooves will be formed between the assembledstri s.

In the reissue Patent No. 14,660, issued to and the novel features thereof defined by thel Elmer` C. Dittmar, the edges of the strip are rounded so that a substantial V-shaped groove is formed having rounded upper edges and I have found 'that the width of the 55 groove can be reduced by only rounding the edges of the V-shaped groove whereby a flooring strip can be Iproduced having the same advantages as obtained in the abovereferred to patents. 5

In manufacturing a prenished flooring of this character, it is essential that the strips be coated and so constructed that they can be laid on a sub-Hoor or over an old floor and yet have a neat "appearance, that is, the 05 groove between the adjacent strips be as small as possible and Ihave found by experimenting that this groove can be greatly narrowed by simply rounding only the edges of the groove instead of rounding the edges of 7 the tongue.

This not only increases the appearance of the flooring, but decreases the cost of manufacturing the same and .a flooring strip is. produced that when laid has a narrow subl stantially ll-shapedv groove formed between the adjacent strips which can be readily cleaned.

From the foregoing description it will be seen that I have produced a flooring strip 80 which can be manufactured at the factory and laid so as to produce a flooring with a narrow substantially V-shaped groove between the adjacent strips.

. When a preinished flooring constructed in accordance with the Dittmar inventions is laid ove`r a sub-floor which is the least bit uneven and the grooved edges come in Icontact with the tongue edges at an angle, the groove is greatly exaggerated because it shows more of the top of the ltongue surface. but by eliminating the'rounded edge on the tongue surface` I lhave overcome this condition to a great extent and the groove is made smaller and the appearance ofthe complete flooring is greatly improved.

IVhat I claim is:

A flooring formed ofv a series of duplicate prelinished flooring strips, each flooring strip having one of its longitudinal edges formed with beveled faces to provide a tongue of substantially V-shape'in cross section of a width equal to the thickness of the strip and v the other lon `tudinal edge grooved to form a substantial'y V-shaped groove of the width substantially of the thickness of the 5 striprthe beveled faces of the tongue of each strip being cut on an angle greater than that between the beveled faces of the groove of such strip, the upper edge of the oove of each stnp being rounded to pro uce a groove between the adjacent strips when 10 assembled. y

In testimony whereofv I hereunto axf my signature.

KENNETH E. CROOKS. 

